What Does Life with Verizon FiOS Look Like?

I travel and work an insane amount for a “stay at home mom”. I joke that if lightening ever strikes my house it’s going to hit me because I’m always glued to some piece of electronic technology – phone, tablet, laptop, camera, TV. As a matter of fact, the last time I went through the TSA security line at the airport, the officer commented on my carry-on, “You sure do have a lot of electronic stuff in there!” Technology rules my life, and as such, I always find it’s well worth it to invest in the best products and services because I depend on reliability.

I’ve always been a techie/gadget geek and I’ve always paid for “the best” internet service. Before moving to our first new home in 2010, we were long time subscribers to our cable provided internet. While the speed was acceptable (when it was up), the customer service was greatly lacking (I was constantly having to call because it was down). As soon as I heard about the new Verizon FiOS service, I tried to get it but it wasn’t offered in my area. It was at this time that I started blogging (about 5 years ago) and I realized that my current cable service was just not cutting it for my lifestyle.

When we bought our new home, the very first thing I checked was to see if we could make the switch to FiOS. Luckily, it was and not only did I make the switch, but I’ve been doing cartwheels over it ever since and have never once looked back (except to comment on how crappy my previous service was). Even though I already owned a ton of devices, in the last 5 years I’ve definitely accumulated even more. And everything is Wi-Fi now, isn’t it? Your computer, smartphones, tablets, game consoles, e-readers, cameras, TVs, Blu-Ray/DVD players, kids toys and even some appliances!!! Did you know the more internet devices you use at one time, the greater the drain on your connection? With speeds up to 500/500 Mbps on FiOS it’s not something I worry about anymore, but man did I use to. If I thought my old connection was “fast”, then FiOS has definitely shown me the super secret squirrel route that is BLAZING fast. There is simply no comparison and I can’t even stress that enough to you.

With our old internet, I was a complete dictator. Mommy’s “work” always took precedence – no one else could be streaming, face timing, gaming, Facebooking, tweeting or downloading a movie. My internet connection simply wasn’t reliable enough or fast enough to keep a secure connection on all devices and Mommy needed to bring home the bacon. Is there really anything worse than when you have something 99% downloaded only to have your connection fail and then you must start all.over.again?!??!  And with all this work, I need just as much “play” so don’t even get me started on game lags – it’s a certain death sentence in online gaming, right? Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that anymore. Nor do I have to wait hours to stream my the latest flick. In fact, I can have the newest movie release streaming to our TV in the living room and my iPad so the whole family can watch no matter the room. FiOS Quantum Internet has the extra speed I need to do just about anything, fast.

Most people think in terms of the internet as being “download only.” We download photos, documents, websites, YouTube videos, and movie rentals. We don’t realize how much we upload. With family spread across the country (we’ve got the 4 corners covered – California, Washington, New York and Florida….and let’s not forget Korea too!) we use social media and voice over IP apps to keep in touch. This means I’m constantly uploading – pictures, home videos and chatting via FaceTime. So it’s equally as important that my upload times are also blazing fast. And I’m not talking about doing one thing at a time, we often stream movies while I’m uploading graphics to my websites while FaceTiming with family.

But I think my real “AHA” moment came when I realized that I can take FiOS with me virtually wherever I go via the Verizon FiOS Mobile App. I’ve flown over 75,000 miles so far this year. So when I’m across the country at an event I can program my DVR (oops, forgot to record that show I wanted to see!) and manage my movie, music and photo Flex View library right from my mobile device. I also like to play tricks on Ben and change the channel on him while he’s watching the game from 2,000 miles away :)

And if that weren’t enough, last year Verizon added the ability to stream live TV to other devices within your household via the Verizon FiOS Mobile App. This saved us money by NOT having to buy a TV for our son’s bedroom. Why, when we didn’t need to thanks to Verizon FiOS? He already has a tablet and with this app, is able to watch live TV on it! No second cable box needed, no installation and no having to buy another TV. While you used to have to be on your home network to take advantage of this feature, now you can watch several stations OUTSIDE your home as well! You can get the app for iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire.

[infobox] Plus when you have FiOS at home, that means you also have access to thousands of Verizon Hotspots too! This means free Wi-Fi at hotels, airports and restaurants (ahem – STARBUCKS!)[/infobox]

It’s this kind of interconnectivity and reliability that makes FiOS king. Where else can I fast internet (that follows me around almost everywhere I go!), HD TV, Ultrafast internet connectivity and Live TV streaming all included? With everything on my plate, these are things I shouldn’t be worrying about and with FiOS I don’t. My life is just better with it. And if you’ve got it then you get it too!

Even though I am a Verizon #LifeonFiOS Ambassador and I have received product or services for this post, they have not influenced what I’ve said. All opinions and thoughts are 100% honest and mine, all mine.